A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

I am Stepanie Nance. My family adopted two little boys with Down Syndrome from Ukraine in 2010. I hope to educate and to inspire you. I hope to make you laugh and to make you cry.

Come along for the ride. It's a wild one!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Oh dear. Where to even start.

I've been on the run, with my children home for spring break and road trips and sleepovers. So, I feel like I'm really falling behind. There is so much that I need to share and pray for...where do I even start?

Carrington is doing great! She's been in the USA for a week now, and in the hospital for a week now, too. She gained a little weight and lost some which is not completely unexpected. It seems that her little body doesn't really know what to do with the nourishment that it is getting.

How can this be? Unless...

We really don't know how and what the doctors and caregivers were caring for her at the orphanage. It's entirely possible that she was only getting one meal a day. It's possible that with her severe reflux that it was all coming up...one meal a day or more.

But then again...we know of more than one, or two, or three children who have come out of this particular place in bad shape. It's difficult to make sense of it. I knew that Carrington was ignored but I never expected to see her in such awful shape.

I was just made aware of a newly listed child in this orphanage. She is in the grouppa for the most severely ill children. It's a good bet that she's in her crib 24/7. She's probably never been outside. It gives me chills to think. More about her later.

And then there is Kiril, who was denied a family by a prosecutor and judge in Eastern Europe this week. You can read more HERE. I'm so heartbroken for his sweet family who has faithfully jumped through hoop after hoop and spent tens of thousands of dollars to bring him into their family.

Please pray for Kiril and his family, that their appeal would be successful and they would be reunited soon. Pray for the other families adopting children with Down Syndrome in the same region who will be facing the same judge soon.